200

Number of varieties of heritage apples grown in Normandy to make Calvados, an apple brandy. The apples used for this northern French spirit are an example of an incredible range of biodiversity. By comparison, rum production uses only four types of sugarcane. There are currently 300 registered Calvados producers, although six account for 95% of all the Calvados produced.

The name “Burgundy” comes from:

A. The medieval French word for a small village, similar to the Old English “burg”

B. A nomadic German tribe which once settled in the area

C. The Latin word Burgarius which was the name for a Roman province that once extended over most of central France

D. The early French rural governing bodies which were made up of noble councilmen known as Burrs

The name Burgundy dates back to the 6^th century when a barbaric, wandering Germanic tribe known as Burgondes established a settlement in central France after the fall of the Roman Empire. They called the region Burgundia. However, even before the region was named, grapes grew in Burgundy. The area’s first documented vineyard was planted in the village of Meursault in the first century A.D.

“To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history.”

—Clifton Fadiman
American author and television personality (1904 – 1999)

200

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